It is with great sadness and regret that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat hereby confirms that a well-known Ahmadi Muslim, Dr Najam al-Hasan (39) was martyred in a religiously motivated attack last night in Karachi, at approximately 12:15am local time.

Dr Najam al-Hasan was leaving his clinic and had just entered his car when he was shot dead by a group of assailants, who as of yet, remain unaccounted for. Upon hearing the noise of gunfire, his brother, whose medical store is adjacent to the clinic, rushed to the scene only to discover that the victim had already succumbed to his injuries.

Dr Najam al-Hasan was a peaceful and law abiding citizen and a much renowned pediatrician. He was also a serving assistant professor at Dow University of Health Sciences. Dr Najam al-Hasan is survived by his wife, and three young children.

Since the promulgation of the anti-Ahmadiyya specific Ordinance XX in 1984, 20 Ahmadi Doctors have been killed in sectarian attacks, 10 of whom were murdered in Sindh. Dr Najam al-Hasan becomes the second Ahmadi to be killed in Karachi this year because of his religion. Such violence results from the continuing hatred that is spread throughout Pakistan against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat.

Violent assaults against Ahmadis that are carried out in the name of religion are all too often premeditated and well organised. It is most unfortunate that certain parts of the media in Pakistan are being used to incite the sentiments of people against Ahmadis and inflame the already raging fire of sectarianism in the country.